Yikes! And now another Panadol product recall – the second in two weeks

GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Panadol, have announced the recall of two batches of Children’s Panadol 1-5 years Suspension. This recall is coming hot on the heels of a recall of Children’s Panadol Baby Drops two weeks ago.

Two weeks after the recall of Children’s Panadol Baby Drops, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the manufacturers of Panadol, have issued another recall – this time for their Children’s Panadol 1-5 years Suspension.

What’s wrong this time?

According to the media release issued, the recall has occured because, ‘During our routine longer term testing, it was identified that a small proportion of bottles within two batches could have out of specification results, showing a higher amount of paracetamol than the permitted specification.’

In a nutshell, they’ve discovered that two batches of Children’s Panadol 1-5 years Suspension have more paracetamol in them than they should.

These two batches were dispatched from GSK between September and November 2013 and are being recalled from pharmacies and hospitals as a precautionary measure. The identified batches are:

Children’s Panadol 1-5 years suspension (strawberry / 200mL) – (identified by JR130869 on the carton and 130869 on the bottle)

Children’s Panadol 1-5 years suspension (orange / 100mL) – (identified by JR130697 on the carton and 130697 on the bottle)

But this is NOT a consumer recall

Despite the fact that these batches have been identified as containing too much paracetamol and GSK is working with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on the recall, this is NOT a consumer recall. The only products that are being recalled are those that are in hospitals and pharmacies. So if you’ve bought one of the affected products and are using it at home already, this recall does not apply to you.

Joanne Clark, spokesperson for GSK explains the logic of this decision thus:

The decision to make this a recall only to trade was made in consultation with the TGA because of the medical assessment conducted which found that if the dosing instructions as per the label were followed there was no reason for consumers to be concerned. The risk is very, very low and that’s why the consumer recall was not required.

“Children’s Panadaol takes anything that falls outside the specification very seriously,” she said.

The recall you have when you’re not having a recall

Consumers can use the product in question, Clark said, and if they’re following the dosing instructions as per the label, there is no reason to be concerned.

Which begs the question, if the slightly increased concentration of paracetamol in the affected batches doesn’t pose a risk when used correctly, why issue a recall at all?

“Consumer safety is our highest priority and anything outside specification is a concern and must be managed accordingly even if the risk to consumers is low.”

Hold on! Haven’t we just gone in a great big logic circle here?

So can you return your bottle if you have one of the bad batch?

While GSK are not making public any offers themselves, the TGA website does state, “If you have a bottle from one of the two affected batches and still have concerns, you can contact GSK on 1800 650 123 (between 8am and 8pm EST). GSK will either organise for a replacement product to be sent to you or, if urgent, GSK can arrange for you to pick up a replacement product from your local pharmacy. Alternatively a refund can be provided.”

What Australian mums are saying

Whether consumers choose to use the affected batches or not, GSK must be concerned about the knock to their reputation in recent times. Despite the fact that they insist that the two recalls in two weeks is ‘pure coincidence and totally unrelated’, Panadol’s trusted name is looking just a little less shiny in the eyes of Australian mothers.